On the border with the provinces of Lodi and Pavia, it stands on the right bank of the Lambro river, in a flat area full of waterways which favors agriculture. It cannot be considered a tourist destination due to the lack of significant attractions, the only monument worthy of note is the church of Saints James and Christopher which dates back to the 14th century. while the facade was erected in 1700.

Contrary to what one might assume by consulting a map, San Zenone al Lambro is part of the province of Milan. Its proximity to the municipality of Lodi can be misleading, as it belongs entirely to Milan. It is no coincidence that the Visconti snake appears on the municipality’s coat of arms, reminding us of the prolonged period of Visconti’s domination of its territory. The city has ancient agricultural origins and is historically part of the Lodi area. During the Napoleonic period, between 1809 and 1816, Santa Maria in Prato was merged into San Zenone. With the establishment of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Veneto, the union of the two municipalities was canceled, and everything went back to how it had been before. In 1863, in San Zenone, it was decided to add the wording to Lambro to distinguish it from other places of the same name. Seven years later, Santa Maria in Prato became part of the municipality definitively. When the province of Lodi San Zenone al Lambro decided to remain under the province of Milan. The church of Saint Zenone is located in Viale Rimembranze. Today, we see a building born on the ancient church dating back to the 10th century, and its construction was completed in 1705. The bishop of Lodi Ortensio Visconti made the consecration. The decorations of the side chapels date back to the two years between 1775 and 1777. The frescoes in the presbytery are much more recent and were painted in 1950. Not far away, in Piazza Meridiana, is the civic center where various associations and valuable services are located.

The locality was documented for the first time in 1122, with the name of Salarianum vicus. Regarding the origin of the name, the most accredited version says it derives from “salt”, because in this place the boats sailing up the Lambro found a landing place for unloading and paying duties. In the Middle Ages it was first a fiefdom of the Capitanei of Salerano, then, from 1307 to 1685 of the Vistarini, a noble family from Lodi. Successors of the Vistarini in the possession of Salerano were the Sommarivas, who, until the first decade of the twentieth century, maintained the title of Marquises of Salerano. In the Napoleonic age (1809-16) Casaletto, Gugnano and Villa Rossa were added to the municipality of Salerano, which became autonomous again with the establishment of the Lombardy-Venetian Kingdom. In 1863 Salerano took the official name of Salerano sul Lambro, to distinguish itself from Salerano Canavese.

The current city of Lodi Vecchio, in Roman times Laus Pompeia, was located halfway between Milan and Piacenza, along the Aemilia road axis. Initially, it was a simple fortified camp, an “oppidum”; later, in 89 AD, the Roman consul Pompey Strabo gave it Latin law. From that moment, it became a Roman municipium in all respects. The history of Laus Pompeia was particularly hectic as it suffered two destructions at the hands of the Milanese: the first in 1111 and the second, the most devastating in 1158. Milan wanted to conquer the critical port on the  DDA River to control traffic shops on the river. The inhabitants of Laus, continually harassed by the incursions of the Milanese, decide to turn to Emperor Frederick I of Swabia, known as Barbarossa, who will help them rebuild the city in a safer place. The archaeological excavations in Lodi Vecchio have brought to light traces of the city’s Roman past www.lauspompeiamuseo.it It is believed that Laus Pompeia was a city of fair size, as the remains of an odeion theater capable of hosting up to 3000 spectators and the spa facilities in the area of Piazza Santa Maria, the ancient Roman forum. It is precisely here that the most notable remains are found, particularly the bases of what must have been the Temple dedicated to the Capitoline gods, which would then be used to build the Basilica of Santa Maria in the 4th century.

Among the few monuments saved in Lodi Vecchio from the two destructions, we find the Basilica of Saint Bassiano, dedicated at its consecration in 387 AD to the twelve Apostles. A legend has it that the Milanese soldiers, who approached the tomb of San Bassiano in an attempt to defile it, fell to the ground stunned. This prodigious fact spared the Basilica from the devastation occurring in the rest of the city. The Basilica of San Bassiano in Lodi Vecchio is located in the ancient cemetery area of the town, adjacent to the Via Burdigalense or Palmaria, frequented by pilgrims heading to the Holy Land. It represents one of the most significant examples of medieval architecture in Lombardy, with Romanesque and fourteenth-century forms. Construction began in 378 and ended in 387, with its consecration in the presence of Sant’Ambrogio, the future bishop of Milan, and San Felice, Bishop of Como. It served as a cathedral until 1163 when the remains of San Bassiano arrived in the Cathedral of New Lodi. On the north side is the so-called “pilgrim gate,” which allowed the faithful to find refuge during their journey to Rome. Here, they could spend the night sleeping on some straw mattresses placed along the naves of the church. The church’s interior is decorated with frescoes with floral and geometric motifs. In the central apse stands out the large fresco depicting Christ Pantocrator inside a mandorla, surrounded by figures of the Virgin, the Saints, and evangelical symbols. The decoration is the work of a single and anonymous artist identified as the “Master of San Bassiano.” The Basilica of San Bassiano in Lodi Vecchio turns out to be one of the most fascinating monuments in the entire Lodi area both for the position in which it stands, as it stands out totally isolated in the middle of the countryside, but also because it is the still tangible testimony of the millenary culture of the city .

Before reaching the Basilica stands the Chapel of Saints Vittore, Nabore, and Felice, which testify to the place of martyrdom of these three soldiers who came from the Roman province of Mauretania. During the decapitation of Saints Nabore and Felix in 303, some bricks remained soaked in the blood of the two martyrs and were initially preserved in a chapel of which there is no precise trace, then in the second chapel, still visible in the street of the same name in Lodi Vecchio.

Finally, the former Conventino located in Piazza St Mary is a 17th-century building. It is structured on two floors divided on the ground floor into six rectangular rooms side by side, connected by a corridor passing on the rear side; the central access area is raised compared to the other places, and the attic is cross-shaped; the other spaces have a flat attic double warp. Renovated by the Municipality of Lodi Vecchio, it became an exhibition venue.

Entering the town of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, you come across the imposing Bolognini Castle of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano. It is a beautiful example of a 14th-century Lombard castle made of terracotta.
It has a quadrangular plan with towers at the corners and a central tower that reaches 36 meters in height.
It has always been the subject of disputes between the people of Lodi, Milan, and Pavia, as it is a strategic point where the two branches of the Lambro meet. It served as a summer residence for the Queen of Scala, who received the fiefdom as a gift from her husband, Bernabò Visconti. Gian Galeazzo Visconti used to use the Castle for his hunting trips. Towards the middle of the 15th century, Francesco Sforza took possession of the palace and donated it to Matteo Mazzagatti, known as Bolognino, commander of his troops. From 1452 onwards, the Castle always belonged to his family. At the end of the 19th century, Count Gian Giacomo Morando Bolognini started important restoration works that brought the Castle of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano back to its ancient splendor. In 1933, the count’s widow established, in the name and memory of her husband, the Morando Bolognini Foundation with the aim of research and dissemination in the agricultural sector. The Castle came, therefore, destined for a museum. It can only be visited by taking part in a guided tour, which lasts approximately 1.30 hours (costs 10 euros; for children/young people aged 6 to 14 the ticket is €5 euros while, for children under 5 years of age, entry is free) during which you can admire 24 rooms (including the throne room, the ancestors room, the mirror room, the armory, the library) with furniture, paintings, pottery and other furnishing accessories from the 18th to the 20th century. Once through the entrance door to the castle, you enter the large internal courtyard that overlooks two different museums. The Museum of the History of Agriculture hosts agricultural tools, information panels, models, and multimedia players to immerse visitors in a unique and evocative environment. An essential section of the museum focuses on the techniques of traditional Lodi agriculture. In this sector, you can observe the reconstruction of some ancient shops and the rooms of a typical peasant house. The Bread Museum is divided into four sections: the cereals used in the world for the production of bread, the phases of the “wheat-flour-bread” cycle, an exhibition of around 500 actual loaves of bread from different Italian regions from the rest of the world, tools and equipment for bread production. The Castle is used for public events but can also be reserved for private events like weddings. It is usually open from March to November (excluding August). Visits are organized exclusively for groups (to be booked) from Monday to Friday. In contrast, visits are also organized for individuals on a couple of Sunday afternoons a month (without the need for booking). For further information, consult the website  www.castellobolognini.it. During the week, unique visits can also be carried out for groups, so contacting the Foundation for the related costs is preferable.
What to see in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano besides the Castle? The ancient Spanish Walls and the Girona Tower, the Basilica of Sant’Antonio Abate, and Santa Francesca Cabrini, the birthplace of Santa Francesca Cabrini, world patron saint of migrants (for info:www.santacabrinicasanatale.com), the small church of Saint Roch of the 16th century.